Kai Althoff: Souffleuse der Isolation

Fully illustrated and conceived by the celebrated German artist Kai Althoff (born 1966), this substantial volume traces the evolution of his work from the early 1990s until today. Through painting, collages, drawings, videos and installations, Althoff engages with topics such as masculine identity, sensuality, the politics of violence and (notably German) history. Described by Elisabeth Kley (for artnet.com) as "a second-generation Neo-Expressionist storyteller whose works constitute what might be called a scattered surrealist symphony of both youthful anomie and bohemian optimism," Althoff borrows stylistically as much from fairytale illustration as from avant-garde collage; his work possesses a timeless quality "where narratives are suggested with confessional intimacy and rendered with exquisite sensitivity." "Kai Althoff: Souffleuse der Isolation" includes newly commissioned texts by the artist, Angus Cook, Antje Majewski and Patrik Scherrer.